All the practical information you are looking for when moving to Greater Copenhagen.
All the practical information you are looking for when moving to Greater Copenhagen. Once you have decided to move to Greater Copenhagen, it’s time to start preparing.
All the practicalities in one place
Getting your residence permit
When moving to Greater Copenhagen, you must apply for a danish or swedish residence permit. And you can start the process even before you leave home. All EU citizens are free to move across borders for employment and studying, but still need to apply for a residence permit. For students, a copy of the letter of admission from your university is a requirement to obtain a residence permit. As soon as you receive your admission letter, you should start the application process. Your university can help you with more information on applying for a residence permit as a student.
All residents in Sweden and Denmark respectively are registered with a social security number. In Denmark it is called a CPR number and in Sweden a Personal identification number. The numbers are an integral part of the Danish and Swedish society and without it, it is virtually impossible to receive any form of public services such as healthcare and social benefits. You also need your number for salary payments, buying a place to live, paying taxes and much more.
In Greater Copenhagen, employers are obliged by law to provide their employees with an employment contract, outlining the terms of employment. As these terms are often regulated by collective agreement, the employment contract will typically include a reference to the applicable collective agreement.
To avoid any doubts or misunderstandings in relation to your working conditions, it is always a good idea to have the employment contract translated into a language you are familiar with.
The standard of housing in Greater Copenhagen is very high, and green parks, harbour baths, forests or beautiful beaches will never be far away.
It is a good idea to start looking for accommodation as soon as you can. No need to stress, it just helps to be prepared. You can either ask your employer for assistance or look at websites with housing listings. When renting accommodation, you will sometimes have to pay a deposit amounting to 3 months’ rent. Do not pay the deposit in cash, because you will have no trace of the payment.
In the city, most people live in flats. If you want a house and a garden, you should look a little further out. Thanks to Greater Copenhagen’s excellent infrastructure with trains, metro and busses commuting time to the city centre is generally short and comfortable compared to most major European capital cities.
Finding your feet and making new friends
A great way to meet new people and friends is by joining some of the many leisure clubs and sports associations in Greater Copenhagen.
Scandinavians deeply value their spare time and many citizens are members of a sports club for football, swimming, running, badminton, handball or golf. If you have a hobby or practice a sport, you can also join one of Greater Copenhagen’s clubs and associations. You can be sure to find one or more clubs for almost every leisure activity as association activities are part of the DNA of Greater Copenhagen.
You can also join one of the many online expat groups, forums and websites, where you can get advice and learn from the experience of other newcomers to Greater Copenhagen.
And if you are up for discovering more of your new home country, Visit Denmark and Visit Skåne offer plenty of inspiration for things to see and do in Greater Copenhagen. For tips and ideas for things to do in Copenhagen with children, check out minicph.com.
